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Eggless Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream Frosting

August 23, 2011

for Dr. MB, AB, N & N!

My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew arrived from sunny California, and hence it was a GREAT weekend! I slept over my mom’s house for a night so I could get some quality time with the 4 of them. We had multiple tea and dessert sessions, and my sister and I stayed up till 5 AM talking and talking and talking. It’s so rare that I stay up till 5 AM nowadays… but we had so much to catch up on… and I miss her more when I see her. In any case, I was so excited to bake my family a cake, but unfortunately I had no eggs on hand and decided to go eggless. This Eggless Chocolate Cake turned out excellent, but it could be a tad bit more moist. I made some alterations to the original recipe that I strongly suggest you consider as well. And let me warn you, this cake is NOT healthy due to the high amounts of saturated fat in the buttercream frosting, however the chocolate cake on its own isn’t terribly bad.NUTRITION: The only nutrition in this cake is the use of Whole Wheat Flour which adds protein and fiber. In addition, unsweetened cocoa is an excellent source of antioxidants.

Water – 1 1/2 cups (you can probably add another 1/2 cup… take a chance)

Milk 2% Reduced Fat – 1 cup

Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp

DIRECTIONS:1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.2. Grease 2 round 9 inch baking trays.3. In a mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients… all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.4. Mix.5. Add the wet ingredients… oil, water, milk, and vanilla extract. 6. Mix, however do not overmix.7. End result – a little liquidy – that’s ok.8. Pour the batter evenly into the baking trays.9. Into the oven for 45 minutes. The original suggests 60 minutes, however 45 is sufficient. Insert a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.

ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING ~ yields just enough frosting for 2 round cakes @ 350 degrees using (2) 9″ x 9″ baking trays. If you want just the right amount of frosting, use 2 sticks of butter and alter the ratio of other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

Unsalted Butter – 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp)

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp

Confectioners Sugar – 3 cups (you can use 1/2 a cup less if this is too much)

Medaglia D’oro Instant Espresso Powder – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Hot Water – 2 tsp (just enough to dilute the espresso)

Milk 2% Reduced Fat – 3 tbsp

DIRECTIONS:1. In a mixing bowl combine the butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar.2. Mix as follows moving from low speed to high speed:

3. Once it looks creamy and light you are done.4. Dilute espresso powder with some hot water. 5. Pour this over the buttercream frosting. Mix.6. Add milk – I just used the same espresso container to get every last drop.

7. Blend until it looks like whipped light mocha… love it! 8. Taste it. Do you want a stronger espresso flavor? Do you need more sugar? Do you want the frosting a little more runny? Then add a touch of milk.9. Now frost. I know I know, my frosting skills SUCK! Hey, I’m no pastry chef, I can just cook and bake. If you want to cover every flaw, you will need that extra 1/2 stick of butter.10. Slice and indulge!

FROSTING RATING:5 / 5I loved my frosting recipe. My niece, Rhea, on the other hand thought it was a tad bit too sweet. Too sweet? Don’t listen to her. When you combine this sweet espresso buttercream frosting with a dark chocolate cake, the cake is perfect and well-balanced.

OVERALL RATING:4 / 5I would give this cake a 4 only because I felt it could have been slightly more moist. I believe adding that 1/2 cup of water or even milk (I would use water) will add the lightness and moisture needed. My husband loved this cake, my brother-in-law loved this cake, and my parents loved this cake. The remaining gang liked this cake a lot. Hence, this recipe is a keeper.

Like I said, the cake itself isn’t terrible in terms of fat, however the buttercream frosting makes this cake indulgent, yummy, and unhealthy. Hey, I made it for the family and they all instructed me not to make it low-fat.

TELL ME: Do you have a sister who lives far away? Do you guys stay up late chatting? How do you spend quality time with your sister who lives far away?

Reader Interactions

Comments

lovely pictures and i am sure everyone loved the cake:))you can try add some fruit to the cake for extra moisture.. like apple or strawberry puree, it works for me.. even with less oil cake, the cake comes out soft and moist! and with all that chocolate no one can taste the fruit!

Hi, I want to make this cake for my sister's birthday this weekend. I have a few questions that I hope you will answer as there isn't much time left. I would really appreciate it! So, I want to make just 1 cake instead of 2, would I just cut the ingredients in half? It seems a bit difficult with some of the items being fractions. :s Also, I was wondering if instead of using the whole wheat flour and the all purpose flour, would I be able to substitue both for cake flour? Sorry for all of the questions, I am not much of a baker.

@Anonymous. I would NOT use cake flour because it contains cornstarch and then we'd have to modify the baking soda/powder amounts. I would just use regular all purpose white flour. Yes, you can cut this recipe in half. Shouldn't be difficult since most things are 2 cups, 1 cup, 2/3, this can easily be cut in half.Also, please see my comments under Overall Rating at the end, I would add additional water or milk for additional moisture. Hope that helps.

Ohh, okay. That makes sense. So, basically I can use the All purpose white flour AND also substitute the All purpose white flour for the Wheat flour right? I will add in the amount of water you suggested. Thank you very much!

Yes, you can substitute white flour for the wheat flour. And for the water/milk amount addition – if you are making this entire cake as is, use 1/2 cup. If you are halving the recipe, then use 1/4 cup.Good luck!

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A foodie passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, cooking, reviewing restaurants, traveling, and exploring various facets of New York City where I can enjoy a variety of cuisines and learn about different cultures. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, travel and New York City!